Thanks Patrice. Maybe if more countries had governments that were so clearly ideologically-blinded to the consequences of the policies they pursue – as is that ‘in power’ in Canada – we would have greater levels of popular activism in the World as a whole?

Well, I used to think the same, long ago.
For example that the coming of Reagan would make the USA revolt. Instead, it’s the opposite that happened; democrats, led by BO, now adulate Reagan. Hitler (I know you consider pathological to use Nazism as a paradigm) laughed about this sort of things. He said:”Our opponents believe that the youth will rise against us. But we own the youth.” Namely, propaganda works, and the bigger, the better. Sad to admit, but the truth.
In any case the USA is much more right wing now than when Reagan appeared.

Au contraire! On this occasion at least, your reference to Hitler’s manipulation of people and facts seems legitimate (as opposed to contrived). However, one can very easily overdo it; and so devalue its currency!

Oh yeah, sorry!. Patrice has now read it too though, which is great. You did well to skip the troll-feeding session. I am afraid that my eternal optimism (that drives me to believe no-one is “unreachable”) means that I keep falling head-first into that particular cess pit.

I’ve experienced many trolls in the past, but it’s still hard to tell them apart. I tend to walk away from a ‘discussion’ when I get accused of not having addressed the other party’s point ‘x’, when (in my mind, granted) I have covered it as well as I believe I can.

In much the same way as an establishment upholder’s ‘terrist’ can be an oppressed person’s freedom fighter, one person’s truth-seeker is another’s polemicist (though I’m not even sure that’s the right word… perhaps the word I seek is delingpilesophist?)

Dear Pendantry: Sigh. Not exactly my point, quite the opposite! See my incoming essay “Lincoln, etc.” that will be out within an hour or so. Lincoln was great, precisely because he did not tolerate certain things.
PA